A Gem to Brighten the Darkness

        Quill pulled his shirt down and he looked at himself in the mirror, his hair was long and out of control. It reach down to the past his neck and he was sticking up everywhere. His former kind blue eyes were dull and glazed over. He sighed and he washed his face with cold water. “I can’t let that dream get to me, its the first day of school.” He said as he looked at himself in the mirror again. “My new school, where no one knows me, where I have no friends, and where I have to pay attention to stuff I don’t care about… the dream doesn’t need to get to me. Life is doing a good job of it already.”

        A soft voice interrupted his thoughts, ”Quill hurry and get up you're gonna miss the first day of school!”

        Quill rolled his eyes and he sighed before calling out. “It’s November Lila, school started last month!” Quill had missed the first month of school since he spent most of it In clinical depression. He sighed as he headed to the bathroom to get ready.

Meanwhile downstairs a woman in a Police uniform was making bacon and eggs for Quill and the other resident of the house. The woman had long dark gray hair, and dark shadow like skin. The woman was Lila Shadow, she smiled happily as she cooked, as she did a figure slowly snuck up behind her smirking slightly.

        Lila smiled kindly. “If you want your ear to stay attached to your head I suggest you try not to scare a trained police officer.”

        The figure sighed and hugged Lila before speaking. “Oh come on mom lighten up, it’s only a joke!”

        Lila turned to look at her son, a tall teenager with warm red skin and the same dark gray colored hair as her. “I’ve told you before Heart Stone, there are certain things you don’t mess with. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and most importantly your mother when shes holding a hot pan with food!”

        Heart Stone sighed and he held his hands up in surrender. “Ok ok I’m sorry…...can I have breakfast now?” He asked with a grin on his face.

        Lila sighed and hit him with her spatula. “Go sit your ass down Heart.” She looked to the stairs and she sighed. “I hope Quill is ok, this all must be overwhelming to him”

        Heart rolled his eyes and he smiled. “Mom he’s 17, it’s high school, and he has me. The only thing Quill needs to worry about is making new friends.”

        Lila looked to him. “Heart you know what he’s been through! Not everyone can bounce back from something horrible like you can!” She glared at her son who sighed.

        “I’m gonna go check on him mom, and….. he’s getting better. He actually leaves his room now!” He said before heading upstairs to the bathroom, he knocked on the door before calling out. “Hey Quill! did ya fall in?! Breakfast is ready, so get out here before I eat for the both of us.”

        The door opened and, Quill walked out. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans, a black t-shirt and a hoodie the same shade of green as his skin, with a logo of a closed book with a quill on top of it.. “I’m not hungry anyway Heart.” He said before turning away from Heart.

        Quill felt a hand grab his arm, he sighed slightly and said without looking back. “What is it Heart?”

        Heart turned Quill to face him and he looked Quill in the eyes. “You’re eating something today, and….” Heart paused as he looked at Quill face. “Have you been crying again? I can see the tear marks on your face…. Quill I told you before to tell me or mom when you’re feeling sad!”

        Quill turned away from him and he walked downstairs. “I don’t need your help Heart, I’m fine.” As he walked Quill wiped his eyes and he sighed. He knew he was just rude, but honestly he didn’t feel anything. He hasn’t felt anything in a long while.

        Quill headed to school munching a muffin Lila had given him. He really didn’t want to eat, but Lila had threatened to lock him out of his room if he didn’t eat something before school. He never got why she cared so much. He was only her god child. They didn’t have any blood between them at all, but every morning she forced him to eat when she knew he was hungry. She made him watch tv with her when she knew he was lonely. Quill looked down at the muffin in his hand and wondered why she did all of it. His thoughts were interrupted when someone shouted right in his ear.

        “HEY LITTLE BRO!” Heart shouted into Quill’s ear and he smiled. “What’s the deal man, you left before me. I wanted us to walk to school together. After all someone has to show you around school.”

        Quill looked to Heart, he understood Heart even less then Lila. Lila was an adult, adults were supposed to care about kids. Heart was only a year older then Quill but he seemed to care even more. Quill never spent time with heart, anytime he was invited to go out with Heart and his friends he turned him down to read quietly in his room. He always wondered if Heart was just messing with him, if he was just pretending to care so he could hurt Quill later down the line.

Thoughts like this kept Quill cold and quiet to his new family. So when he spoke to Heart his voice had an icy chill to it. “Someone is showing me around, Principal Celestia called Yesterday and told me that a girl with red and yellow hair would be showing me around. So you don’t need to worry about me.”

        Quill walked off ahead leaving Heart standing there looking Hurt. Quill chest hurt a little, a small out of guilt bled through. He shook it off and pushed on to school. He and Heart were heading to Canterlot High. It was supposedly one of the best schools around, with its promise that all of its students will find the school to be a wonderful place to learn and make new friends. Quill however only valued it as a place to get more books to read.

        Quill looked ahead and he could see the Statue in front of the school. “Well.. no turning back now.” Quill said before marching forward to the school. He passed by a pink haired girl passing out flyers for the local animal shelter. Quill glanced at her and saw she had a rabbit hidden away in her backpack. He saw it jump out and he looked to the girl. “Your pet is making a break for it.”

The girl turned and she gasped. “Angel no! Not again do you want Principal celestia to take you away!” She chased after the rabbit.

Quill watched her go before blinking. “Why did I help someone I don’t know?” He said before blinking. He turned to school, but not before looking back at the flyers the girl had left. He picked one up and hurried into school. He always did have a fondness for small animals.

        He stopped as soon as he walked inside, everything looked too shiny and new. Quill knew that it was a good school but it looked like the entire front of the school was remade. Before Quill could look at anything else a girl cleared her throat and smiled at him. She was standing in front of Quill and she had red and yellow hair, that made Quill think back to Lila’s bacon. He shook the odd image out of his mind before looking back at the girl. She was wearing a dress with a purple top and an orange skirt with a purple and yellow stripe going down the side. She had a sun symbol on the chest of her top. All this was underneath a black leather jacket. She wore odd looking high heeled boots with a purple flame pattern.

        “My name is Sunset Shimmer, you must be Heavenly Quill! Principal Celestia wanted me to show you around the school.” She held her hand out to Quill with a friendly smile.

Quill looked at it before asking, “Where’s the library?”

Sunset looked at Quill for a moment before turning. “It’s Upstairs and to the left until you see the big glass doors, but don’t you want to see the rest of the school?” She said in a friendly tone.

Quill shook his head and headed to the library. Sunset watched him go and she started trying to think of a way to get Quill to go with the tour. She wanted Celestia to know that she was putting in a good effort, and she wanted to be able to tell her new friends that she was trying to change.

        She hurried after Quill, and stopped in front of him. “Wait! There’s a lot of other cool places to check out before the library!” She said before giving Quill a pleading look.

Quill walked around her. “No thank you, I just want to read my books in peace, before I’m forced to be in a room with people I don’t know for an ungodly amount of time.” He said in a monotone voice.

Sunset looked at Quill as he walked away and she felt something off about him, other than the fact he acted a little too pessimistic. She could feel something dark and sad about him. She knew she wanted to help him, and she saw her chance. “Well if you let me give you the tour you wouldn’t have to go to your classes until we’re done.” She said with a slight smirk.

Quill stopped and he turned to her, “Ok… you have my attention Sunset.” Quill himself had a slight smirk on his face.

Sunset turned and he motioned for him to follow. “This way Heavenly Quill.”

Quill followed her before sighing. “Just Quill please, and I hope this isn’t a waste of my time.”

Sunset sighed and mumbled to herself. “This is going to be a long day”

Sunset led Quill outside to the Sports dedicated area of the school. Quill couldn’t help but be slightly impressed. He could see a football, soccer, and track field. On the football field Quill could see two people racing from one end of the field to the other. One of them was a girl with rainbow colored hair, the other was a boy with dark skin and a t-shirt with the japanese character for wolf on it.

Sunset followed Quill’s gaze and she smiled. “Those are Canterlot High's resident Athletes, The girl with the colorful hair is Rainbow Dash, The boy running with her is Zero Gravity.”

Quill looked to the boy. “I can already tell he's going to be annoying.”

Sunset looked to Quill. “Well he’s not that bad. He actually likes helping people, and he hates bullies…..and on one conditions a former bully.” She looked away slightly. “He can be a little over confident though.”

Quill looked to Sunset. “He’s a idiot isn’t he?”

Sunset chose to remain silent and lead Quill back into the school.

Quill sighed and he stopped Sunset by a set of lockers. “Look Sunset I know you’re trying to help, but I think I’m just gonna try my luck being alone.”

Sunset looked to him before sighing. “O...ok I guess that's fine, I..I hope you enjoy it here.” She turned and headed off to find her friends, maybe she could get their help with Quill.

Quill turned and walked off to his class, he walked past a hallway with Three younger girls, one of them wore a tiara on her head like some kind of princess. The girl standing beside her had silver colored hair and glasses. She and tiara girl had to be friends because they were laughing at the third girl. She had orange skin and purple hair, and she was shouting back at the girls. Quill didn’t care what the argument was about, until he heard the tiara girl say smugly. “Well it’s no wonder you're so stupid, you never had any parents to teach you how to be normal!” She and her friend laughed as the purple haired girl’s eyes widened in shock. Quill stopped in his tracks as a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time suddenly exploded inside of him.

Anger, pure unadulterated anger.